In 1955, when BC Roy was the Chief Minister of West Bengal, the then Soviet Premier Nikolai Bulganin and Communist Party Secretary Nikita Khrushchev came to the state while on a visit to India. The special aircraft carrying them landed at Dum Dum airport (as it was known then) as the evening was setting in.

The airport then was not what we see today. It was mostly open with only a railing to keep inquisitive visitors away from the operational area. There was hardly any security set-up as we encounter today at the airport except a few policemen with lathis and one or two with the muskets or .303 riffles.

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That evening a motley crowd of reporters and photographers numbering between 10 and 12 of different newspapers and one from the AIR were present. They were all standing on the tarmac where the VVIP plane was scheduled to park after landing. The reporters were armed with pencils and notebooks while the photographers carried cameras that are museum pieces now.

My father, a photo-journalist, had a large Graphic camera, quite a task to handle with a large flashgun where a bulb had to be inserted for every snap and the film changed. The VVIPs embarked from the plane and waved to the assembled crowd from the stairs. They exchanged pleasantries with the Chief Minister who welcomed them with bouquets and then introduced them to the other dignitaries standing in a queue on both sides of the red carpet.

By this time, the natural light at the airport had faded. Some lights arranged for the occasion were not sufficient. Photographers had a trying time jostling with each other to get the best frames as flashguns lit up every second. My father being pushed by a colleague blurted out: Aye s***a, thelchis keno (Why are you pushing me?) A suited-booted Russian with a hat standing close to the Soviet leaders immediately retorted: “Aye, ke s***a bollo, gali debe na” (Who said that? Don’t use slang) in fluent Bengali.

Hearing him, another photographer remarked: “Jas s***a, saheb to Bangla bolche, dekchi” (Surprising, the foreigner is speaking Bengali). Immediately, another Russian said: “Abar gali dicccho, bolchi na gali debe na” (you are using slang again, did you not hear what we said?)

My father, who told me this story, learnt later that the two Russians who spoke Bengali were KGB personnel who had come with the Soviet leaders to ensure their safety. They always kept their ears and eyes open for anything suspicious.